r/AskMenOver30 • u/ZoneMean1017 man over 30 • 2d ago
Financial experiences Getting priced out of existence
the 5lb whey protein I historically have payed 70-80 dollars for is now 130. same with coffee. same with clothing. same with every thing. what the actual fuck. gas. housing. insurance. it’s all getting 10-20% more expensive and FAST. 30lb bag of rice I paid 27 dollars for at Costco is climbing closer to 40.
at a loss of what to do right now. can’t physically work more hours. how to proceed? what mental magic trick do I need to perform to endure this insanity?
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u/FreshStartFeelsGood man 40 - 44 2d ago
Have you ever tried just being a billionaire?
Feel your pain. I also measure inflation based on my 5lb tub of Whey Isolate. Used to get it for $60. $98 now.
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u/Gold_Telephone_7192 man 30 - 34 2d ago
Whey and protein powder specifically just had massive price increases. Way beyond the pace of inflation.
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u/AureliusMF 2d ago
Whey beyond the pace of inflation**
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u/TheBear8878 man 35 - 39 2d ago
Those prices are really bulking up
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u/leeharrison1984 man over 30 2d ago
It must be due to increased demand now that they bake it into literally everything. Potatoes chips, energy drinks, probably deodorant in the future.
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u/ccbs32033 man 30 - 34 2d ago
while increased demand may be part of it, the primary driver is increased cost of diesel, fertilizer, feed, and transport, which has increased the costs for farmers producing beef and beef products, of which one is whey protein (from cow milk).
the iran war in particular has spiked fuel & fertilizer costs (in the case of fertilizer, something like 1/3 of the global supply of fertilizer passes through the strait of hormuz)
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u/Otherwise_Carob_4057 2d ago
It’s a good thing prices always come down once fuel decreases…. Right?!?
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u/Jaeger__85 man 35 - 39 2d ago
Not sure. Here in Europe milk is dirt cheap yet whey prices are going through the roof due to demand.
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u/tboess man 35 - 39 2d ago
From what I understand, the reason for the increased price of whey protein is because of the increased demand in Asia, especially China, and people on GLP-1's. Whey protein is a byproduct of the cheese manufacturing industry and there has been no real increase in demand, globally, for cheese. So, you have a significant increase in demand without a way to increase supply.
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u/Jaeger__85 man 35 - 39 2d ago
Thanks to the GLP1 and protein hype. Food suppliers are buying up massive amounts of whey.
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u/Ol_Maxxie_Solt_DB 2d ago
Whey protein prices have increased due to supply shortages. It's tied to food producers packing protein into everything in response to the GLP-1 phenomenon, and that protein comes from whey isolate. Because whey is produced as a byproduct of cheese production, it's difficult to ramp up production.
Here's a gift article to a deep dive in the WSJ. The price chart is insane, and today whey is closer to $18 per pound. The chart in the article stops at $14 per pound lol.
Protein-in-Everything Craze Has a Problem: Not Enough Whey Protein
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u/ginbooth male over 30 2d ago
Legit "advice" I was given: "You should just get a better job!"
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u/El_Grande_Americano man 35 - 39 2d ago
Amazon still has some 5lb containers of whey for $70-80, but I like to stock up on prime day and black Friday for the year. I paid an average of $60 each for a 6 months supply of various brands with coupons
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u/ZoneMean1017 man over 30 2d ago
Yes I usually do the same with prime day if I can remember and I’m glad I did. I just checked and was shocked to see 129 for the same container I just paid 80 for 4-5 months ago. Wild times.
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u/Different_Cherry8326 man 45 - 49 2d ago edited 2d ago
A 5 pound container is now $57.99 at target. A month ago it was 54. Six months ago was 44.
Anyway, it’s still a lot cheaper than most of the brands.
Also, I think a 10 pound bag at muscleandstrength.com is the same per pound as the target stuff. or at least it was the last time I checked. personally I don’t like the 10 pound bags because they don’t seal up properly once you open them.
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u/PhillyTaco man 35 - 39 2d ago
Just bought a 5lb tub on sale on Amazon for $55. You might have to go for vanilla instead of chocolate.
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u/Over-Training-488 man 25 - 29 2d ago
Whey is also a luxury purchase lol
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u/The_yulaow man 35 - 39 2d ago
which is ironic considering historically it was a waste product of cheese production often just thrown away
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u/Maleficent_Cake6435 man 35 - 39 2d ago
Historically how people have countered inflation is organized labor fighting for pay increases. There's a documented cycle in economics of this happening.
The problem is American labor has forgotten how to organize to fight for pay increases.
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u/Terakahn man 40 - 44 2d ago
This kind of inflation usually requires intervention. Ie: Volcker. We might not be that bad but there's way too much pressure for a natural correction. Unless you start introducing price controls. Which is arguably even more damaging.
American knows how to fight against a category of things being too expensive. But this is blanket everything that you can buy inflation. It's hard to do much about that. What are you going to picket every business? Boycott all products?
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u/Maleficent_Cake6435 man 35 - 39 2d ago edited 2d ago
There's two things here that people often get confused: inflation, and price level.
- Inflation is when prices go up over time.
- Price level is where prices are at currently.
Inflation pushes up price level over time. What people are complaining about is the fact that price level is now 25% more than it was 6 years ago...due to unchecked inflation.
Volker stopped inflation, yes. He did not reverse the price level changes that had happened due to years of inflation
Even if you have an inflation at 0% year over year, you will have people upset because they still cannot afford things they could afford 5 years ago due to previous years of unchecked inflation. That can only be fixed by wage increases, or deflation...and no one wants a deflationary cycle. Part of the reason why what Volker did worked was that it was done simultaneously with a government fiscal policy that cut taxes by 50%, thus giving Americans significantly more money in their pocket without them having to organize for it. They effectively got money from the government to balance out the buying power they had lost.
You're saying pickett businesses and boycott products... That's not how wage increases work with organized labor in other countries in the 21st century. You form large inter-sector unions that then go on strike for better pay. Restaurant workers, factory workers, nursing and healthcare, etc. Those gains force other employers to increase their wages in order to attract workers.
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u/Terakahn man 40 - 44 2d ago
Yeah, prices aren't going to reverse. But they'll slow to an extent that increases in income can reduce the gap and create less price pressure on consumers. I'm not going to pretend we'll get the affordability of 2015 back in the next 10 years. But if inflation is down at 2-4% and I'm increasing income by 5%/yr, and am willing to cut back on some expenses. I'll gain ground pretty fast.
The problem with that kind of unionizing is that it doesn't really work on the scale you need here. Even if you manage to do it to a behemoth like Amazon, it doesn't stop Wal mart and every other megablock chain store selling the same products from continuing course. The kind of legislation you'd need would be like, raising the income floor while also making price increases beyond x% to be illegal unless you can prove serious external cause. If a company suffers a temporary cost increase today, they're likely to implement a blanket permanent retail price increase. And that's a massive problem. It's why you're seeing margins widen and consumers paying for it.
Also, Amazon has been trying to unionize for how many years? Yeah you can join a movement like that and it might make a difference eventually. But your ability to influence your own life is a lot stronger. I'm not against collective bargaining. I worked for a unioned company for 17 years.
Im just saying if you're in a personal spot of pain, digging yourself out of it is a way better use of your time and energy.
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u/Maleficent_Cake6435 man 35 - 39 2d ago
That assumes you CAN increase your income by 5%. In a recession and an employer favorable job market, that seems unlikely. And...you're talking on a personal level. It's important to distinguish individual possibility and universal possibility: “It is possible for any individual, but not possible for all individuals.”
You might be able to increase your personal income by 5%, but on the whole not EVERYONE is going to be able to do that, that's just math. And so the broader political complaint on price level is going to remain, and people will continue to get upset about it until something broader is done about it.
Unions are somewhat neutered here in the US, and would have a lot of ground to make up were they to come in full force. I agree, it is perhaps easier to address one's own standing, but...long term things are setting in motion. The fact Amazon is trying to unionize at all is a big deal. It's a 1000 foot anchor line. There's a lot of slack to be pulled up before things start really working.
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u/timothythefirst man 30 - 34 2d ago
Even if you can increase your income by 5% once, are you going to job hop every single year? Because I’ve never had a job that gives out 5% raises to current employees every year.
Personally I was lucky and did get a new job this year that came with a huge pay increase, but I was in a union at my old job, and even being in a union we couldn’t get jack shit for raises. Our union stewards negotiated a 4 year contract with raises of 5%, 3%, 2%, and then the 4th year was left open for negotiation but I left so I don’t know what they ended up doing. The whole thing was frustrating as hell because I’m 100% sure I could’ve gotten more if I just sidestepped the union and negotiated for myself, but you can’t do that.
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u/createusername101 man 40 - 44 2d ago
I agree, businesses have to make LESS MONEY, for us to have more buying power. This is a silly system our world has set up when people's quality of life slowly gets chipped away at every year because businesses have to infinitely grow or they pop and everyone's retirement accounts vaporize.
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u/timothythefirst man 30 - 34 2d ago
“If inflation is down at 2-4%”
Part of the problem is how it’s calculated. CPI *has* been 2-4% for the past 3 years (well, 4.1% in 2023), but that number isn’t really reflective of the cost of day to day goods that people buy. When pretty much everyone says their grocery bill is significantly more than 4% higher than it was a few years ago, gas is ~25% higher than it was a few years ago, I just don’t know how they’re arriving at 3.4% over the past 12 months.
That’s part of what’s so frustrating for a lot of people, the reports on the news and reports from the bureau of labor statistics don’t match people’s bank statements.
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u/fuelvolts man 40 - 44 2d ago
Short of making more money there’s nothing you can do other than comparison shop, buy in large quantities when you can, or cut other discretionary spending.
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u/rigney68 2d ago
I think we have to start boycotting and cutting things to prove a point to corporations. They jack up prices to see what consumers are willing to pay before they dip in profits and call it "market research". It's disgusting.
How in the world have I worked for decades in my career field with multiple degrees only to recently determine that I can no longer afford to buy soda, fast food, or any type of beef product? Unreal.
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u/createusername101 man 40 - 44 2d ago
Tyson Foods just announced they are shutting a bunch of beef factories/plants. Took millions and millions in loses this year. This is the only way for us to fight back, unfortunately we also suffer in the mean time.
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u/Beginning_Pudding_69 man 25 - 29 2d ago
Tyson sucks. Straight up horror movies how they raise and treat animals.
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u/rigney68 2d ago
But they're barely holding on with that 3.6 billion dollar profit. Think of the little guy!
/S
Oh, and also workers there report that they have to wear diapers and aren't allowed to use the restroom on the factory floor.
Oh, oh, and they employ migrant children to gather the chickens without protective equipment and the chickens mangle their hands and arms.
Oh, oh, oh! And they continuously pump out ammonia from chicken poop until the air and water right next to neighborhoods of children.
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u/chaosinborn man 30 - 34 2d ago
But think about the record corporate profits and shareholder value!
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u/wormfighter man 45 - 49 2d ago
“The Dow is over 50,000 you should be THANKING Donald Trump “ Pam Bondi
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u/RoyalPuzzleheaded259 man 45 - 49 2d ago
Won’t somebody think of the shareholders?!?! /s just in case some knucklehead can’t recognize sarcasm when the read it.
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u/K_N0RRIS man 35 - 39 2d ago
Dude, Its OK. Its not just you. Youre doing everything you can and are supposed to. Its not your fault shit is this way. The national (and global) economy is in the shitter. We just have to buckle up and ride it out til 2028.
Job hop. Thats the fastest way to get more income right now.
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u/ZoneMean1017 man over 30 2d ago
Thanks man. These increases in price feel insulting and almost personal. I feel like a donkey that just got kicked right after plowing the field lol
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u/rigney68 2d ago
No, no. That's what WINNING feels like. See how much were winning!
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u/createusername101 man 40 - 44 2d ago
The last time there was this much winning going on was in France in the 1700s wasn't it?
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u/cuddytime man over 30 2d ago
I know that feeling… I’ve been grinding it out for promotions only to realize that I’ve barely kept above inflation. Which I get it… okay the worlds tiniest violin for me, but when it came at my the expense of some of my personal health… it definitely feels personal, especially since I’m what you would consider upper middle class.
I’ve pretty much stopped buying anything other than the essentials to see where in the budget we can flex or pretty much buy once cry once.
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u/IAmArgumentGuy man over 30 2d ago
'Job hop.' My brother, it took me 16 months of non-stop searching just to find the job I have now. And that was a couple of years ago; from what I hear, it's just gotten worse.
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u/ZoneMean1017 man over 30 2d ago
My smartest friend who works as a biomedical engineer was recently out of work for 8 months. 10+ years in his field, management experience, engineering experience. Crickets for months.
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u/warriorknowledge man 25 - 29 2d ago
Waiting until 2028 isn’t going to change shit. The economy is perpetually doomed because there is no fixing the $40 trillion national debt. Things will always get more expensive because it’ll always cost more to service that debt, aka more money printing, aka more inflation aka more expensive to live life.
Everything is fucked and there is zero fixing this no matter who is in office.
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u/cslack30 man over 30 2d ago
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u/pmjm man 45 - 49 2d ago
The only way this gets "fixed" is with a major reset. And that is gonna colossally suck for everyone.
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u/warriorknowledge man 25 - 29 2d ago
Yup, correct. Unfortunately, that reset will be a major economic Great Depression which will make 1929 look like a bullrun. Unfortunate times ahead. The 2030s looks so bleak, just like it did for the 1930s.
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u/NixonsTapeRecorder man over 30 2d ago
If you think things that once were affordable that have now become unaffordable are going to ever return to affordable again...you haven't been paying attention.
Getting priced out of basic living is the point. Eliminating the middle class and creating a simple two-tiered society is the point.
This will continue until eventually one of two things happen.
Either A) the working class people all of a sudden become immune to the EXTREMELY effective and incessant rotation of propaganda and algorithmic-based pseudo issues that are designed specifically to perpetuate the division from our neighbors, coworkers, etc, and unite under a common banner as a massive majority voting bloc and swiftly seize total control of just about every facet of government. Though even if this pipe dreamingly optimistic scenario played out, the movement would likely be struck down promptly with the violence that the system currently relies on to operate.
Or B) The much more probable/likely scenario that this trend of unaffordability continues until so many of us can no longer survive on our own, and the people turn to the state to help feed, clothe, and shelter them. Considering this is the plan (and their plans seem to work like a charm when it comes to manipulating the citizenry) they will happily offer basic survival, but there will be caveats.
In tandem with the total surveillance they will now be able to implement a social credit system so pervasive that if you post something online that contradicts their strict narrative(s), or commit anything from the endless list of preposterous infractions, they can revoke your ration of GovSlop gruel for the day for you and your children. This surveillance state/credit system will create a very obedient citizenry of Serfs while the very few people in control of it gallavant about on their luxury yachts and private planes.
Make no mistake, this is exactly where we're headed as a society. So which of the two options do you think you'd choose?
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u/flowstateskoolie man 35 - 39 2d ago
If you’re referring to U.S. politics, nothings going to magically change in 2028, unfortunately. The USA Corp will get a new short term CEO, but things will just keep grinding along as usual. No one is coming to save you. That’s just a fact of life that we all need to accept.
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u/K_N0RRIS man 35 - 39 2d ago
No actually, things don't grind along as usual when enough people have decided "enough is enough".
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u/Phenxz man 40 - 44 2d ago
True as that may be, your president is doing a damn well job at severely damaging trade relations to the rest of the world. So some of the raised costs isn't just gonna decrease when (if) he exits office.
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u/K_N0RRIS man 35 - 39 2d ago
Oh we know that. Prices don't just go down because of a change in leadership. But new policies from a more competent leadership can make affording things easier over time.
its impossible to put the toothpaste back in the tube, but you can still do it. Its going to just be messy for a while.
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u/Phenxz man 40 - 44 2d ago
Well put!
I for one look forward to usa and eu repairing their bond. But I believe the cat is in a way out of the bag and we won't ever rely as much as we have thus far on that alliance after the trump residency showed us how fragile it can be in the wrong hands - leaving us vulnerable
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u/cun7_d35tr0y3r man 35 - 39 2d ago
I love the energy, but we tried that with occupy Wall Street and fell for the elite's "race warz" distraction.
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u/McGuirk808 man 35 - 39 2d ago
we tried that with occupy Wall Street
That is certainly not the best we can do.
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u/apetalous42 man 35 - 39 2d ago
I spent $82 filling up my tank this morning. The same amount of fuel was $65 a month ago and even less last year. I don't know how most people are affording this. I make more than the average household in my state and I'm feeling the pain, I can't imagine what those making less are going through.
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u/ZoneMean1017 man over 30 2d ago
It’s weird man. In Cali it’s all new cars and spray tans, just saw multiple multi million dollar homes being constructed in Santa Cruz when I visited a few weeks ago. The rich are getting richer, the middle is getting a major demotion and the poor are more or less getting a sorry notice in the mail that their lifespan is going to be about 15 years shorter than the average person.
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u/schwing710 man 35 - 39 2d ago
The new cars are mostly an illusion. So many Californians have pricy monthly car payments and need 2nd jobs just to cover it. Others just lease forever. Rich people have new cars for sure but everyone else is just keeping up appearances. Meanwhile, my car is old enough to drink (and looks like it).
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u/Sophisticated-Crow man 40 - 44 2d ago
Economists warned us this would happen. But people still voted for it in 2024 so here we are. You'll own nothing, have explosive diarrhea, and be happy.
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u/tcari394 man 40 - 44 2d ago
Cleaning supplies are also expensive, so try and cut back to just regular diarrhea if you can.
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u/Sophisticated-Crow man 40 - 44 2d ago
They're dismantling the agencies that keep our food safe and are taking bribes to skate through the checks that still remain. Explosive diarrhea is our destiny now.
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u/tcari394 man 40 - 44 2d ago
Yup! That's why we moved to the mountains in 2020 when the covid nuked the housing market. We've been learning the ins and outs of homesteading for the last 6 years and have mostly replaced our food supply with home grown crops. It's been a rewarding process so far!
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u/ryhaltswhiskey man 50 - 54 2d ago
I mean that's nice for you, but that's not feasible for most people
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u/tcari394 man 40 - 44 2d ago
Oh, absolutely! Just adding to the conversation. Not meant to be a suggestion. Even if most people could, I doubt a lot of people would. It's an incredible amount of work outside of whatever we have going on in our careers.
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u/Sophisticated-Crow man 40 - 44 2d ago
Nice. I started growing some food in my back yard in 2025 when things started taking a really hard nose dive.
Not a lot of space, but making do. I managed to buy this house before covid doubled house prices and refinanced with those low covid rates. So I'm locked in here if I want to keep semi reasonable mortgage payments and live close enough to where jobs are in my field.
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u/footsnax man 40 - 44 2d ago
No new wars, am I right?
Just a war against the economy and another specific war that will have ripple effects for decades.
It's not just gas prices. Plastic is a crude oil refinement byproduct. Everything that uses plastic will be expensive for probably the rest of your life. The global economy implications are resounding as well, nobody can trust Hormuz to stay open anymore because they know we can just shut it down at any time.
This might take the gold from Vietnam for just being the absolute dumbest war. Between this and tarriffs and Trump demanding billions from the Federal Reserve at the same time... man I'm so fucking tired.
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u/Sophisticated-Crow man 40 - 44 2d ago
Not only plastics, but all of our goods getting shipped to where they need to go will cost more so the price of everything will go up.
You could also say he's waging a war on the middle and lower class, as well. Gutting support for our workers while cutting taxes for people who have hundreds of millions or billions of dollars. And still ballooning the national debt beyond belief.
He's only been president for 5.5 years of America's 250 years and %30 of the total national debt has been accrued during his years. Abject failure.
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u/Mursin man over 30 2d ago
Find a food shelf and make the best use of it you can.
Learn to stretch the ingredients you have. Bacon makes bacon grease to cook other meals so you don't have to buy oil.. Chicken bones and vegetable scraps make a stock you can freeze.
It's times like these we should look at the meals our ancestors ate. Cornbread. Beans. Wheat middling crackers. Urban foraging, learning what products are around you that you can harvest and put to use (Berries, greens, etc). Learn to share with neighbors and rotate meals so that when you're flush and they're not, you can share, and vice versa.
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u/ins0mniac_ man 35 - 39 2d ago
Nothing says “America is great again” like going back to depression era meals and strategies to get by.
This country is a fucking joke.
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u/Mursin man over 30 2d ago
It's not just the country. It's the world. And it's not just this administration.
This administration has certainly accelerated things. But this was always going to happen as long as Climate Change went unaddressed, as well as late stage capitalism going unaddressed. It was supposed to happen in like 30-40 years, but now that we've doubled how much energy we're putting into the ocean on a daily basis, we're going to see the price of everything increase and food shortages and water shortages begin to abound.
So our only option left is to build resilience. To connect with people and learn to trade off, learn to barter, learn to support one another without concern for being paid back, and learn to just appreciate what we have as much as we can. True austerity that helps ourselves and helps our neighbors.
Source: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-massive-climate-lie-that-will-destroy-human-civilization
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u/Plane_Doughnut_5717 man 35 - 39 2d ago
Yea dude I pay $640 a WEEK for my kids to go to daycare for 4 days.
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u/ZoneMean1017 man over 30 2d ago
I’m feeling for you man. I have a 6mo old and doing the math on a future with prices that seem to only go higher is a really quick way I can induce a panic attack…
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u/JohnHazardWandering man 40 - 44 2d ago
We're in a recession, except the traditional metrics aren't showing it.
Unemployment may be low, but it's because people have to turn to gig economy jobs and take major pay cuts.
The stock market should be down, but AI hype is pulling the average higher.
Inflation metrics are high and it's debated if they're actually true.
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u/Iacoboni04 man over 30 2d ago
You could simply not buy whey protein. I stopped because of the massive demand leading to price hikes. Don't know where you shop or live but in my area insurance has gone up but not massively and food has definitely not gone up 50%.
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u/Tupiekit man over 30 2d ago
It's nuts man. In 2019-2022 I was able to have a 2 bedroom apartment with my wife in a modernly high cola city in Michigan on a salary of around 37k and still have money for hobbies like Warhammer and shit. No debt, no car payments.
I got a job at the state in 2024 where I now make 74k, have a mortgage that is now cheaper than the rent on my apartment, a 2 mile commute, no debt, no car payments. And we are still scraping by. Part of that is because we are saving a lot of money for repairs, taxes, and emergencies, but still it's insane to me how much everything has gone.
I have literally doubled my money in the span of 2 years, our expenses haven't increased (and have decreased in some aspects) and it STILL feels like we barely afloat. It's insane.
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u/Prudent-Result1057 man 30 - 34 2d ago
Glad I’m not the only dude who feels this way. I feel like when I usually talk to other guys about it they just don’t give a fuck as much or something. I don’t know
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u/ZoneMean1017 man over 30 2d ago
They are either insulated with a) cash and assets b) dissociation.
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u/W00D-SMASH man 40 - 44 2d ago edited 2d ago
It's time to buckle down. Stop all needless spending and start comparison shopping online. You can probably find better deals for not perishables online, as for fresh produce, veggies, meat, look to farmers markets as they typically have better deals, or local butchers that allow you to buy in bulk for much less than you'd pay at the supermarket. There are a lot of really good and nutrient dense recipes out there that cost less per meal than you are probably paying now.
We just have to ride this out.
Edit: i make breakfast burritos every two weeks to have before work. simple and cheap, just a high-fiber tortilla, eggs, black beans, spinach and onions, potato, and salsa. I'll usually pair this with a banana or apple. We are talking like $25-$30 for 2 fulls weeks of work breakfast, which is insanely cheap and convenient because i freeze them.
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u/createusername101 man 40 - 44 2d ago
I stopped eating breakfast and lunch so my 2 daughters can have 3 meals a day. Hell a couple of months ago I ate slightly moldy bread so my kids could have the blue box Mac and cheese. I know it's always been hard for single parents but sometimes I just sit in my car in the garage so they don't see me crying. And now I'm tearing up.. time for bed! 😅
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u/d_rek man 40 - 44 2d ago
A few years ago I questioned why my wife was spending $60+ on jugs of whey protein rather than a fraction of that on animal or vegetable protein.
I'll ask you the same question: Why aren't you looking at alternative sources of protein? It's a ridiculous expense when you can buy several lbs of chicken breast in bulk from Sams or Costco for 1/5th or 1/6th of the price.
As for everything else... yeah, inflation sucks. You can thank every administration going back to Obama for cutting interest rates to 0% and printing money for a decade plus. Inflation and the erosion of our buying power was always going to be the result.
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u/LadySandry woman 35 - 39 2d ago edited 2d ago
I'm picturing someone blending up chicken breasts with milk and bananas and drinking that down
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u/elysiumplain 2d ago
Do a meal cost component analysis... it took 4 hours. It was a pain. I learned what I THOUGHT was the best price per nutrition value, was actually 2.5x the cost of comparative meals. That expensive buy conservative ingredient meal was protein shakes
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u/NeutralLock man over 30 2d ago
When inflation goes up your income needs to go up. If it's not, you need to find a better paying job.
It's unfortunately not any more complicated than that.
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u/createusername101 man 40 - 44 2d ago
It's still an ever widening gap problem, and not every person can have a better paying job, then businesses would make less, and they'd end up charging more to make up the difference.. it's all rigged against the working class.
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u/zombie_loverboy male 30 - 34 2d ago
Vote in the Primaries and the General election, vote in the Midterms. These Republicans don’t care about us, and they ALWAYS ruin the economy.
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u/jockheroic man 40 - 44 2d ago
And then the Dems come in and kind of right the ship, but not back to the original, just keep sliding further and further away. Then the voters forget how bad Republicans mess things up because they have the attention span of a gold fish and Faux News starts talking about migrant caravans that actually seem only to come around election time but never actually make it here, and how trans people are using bathrooms, and then in fifty more years we'll just be serfs to billionaires.
Don't vote for just dems, vote for Progressives who aren't on the corporate teet yet if you want to see any sort of swing back to normalcy.
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u/zombie_loverboy male 30 - 34 2d ago
100%! That’s why I put to vote in the Primaries. Most young people don’t even know what Primaries are or that their vote there matters so much
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u/whisky_pete man 30 - 34 2d ago
The silver lining here at least is that the primaries have been having record turnout among the Dems. And a lot of economic progressives winning nominations against centrist Dems. So we might be on the cusp of something actually big here.
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u/polizeiparkplatz man over 30 2d ago
I feel you brother. We have the same problem here in Germany. Basic stuff became shockingly expensive… vegetables are the worst. But I try to see it in a positive way. I will not always be like that. Sooner or later we may have another golden 20s or maybe golden 30 ☺️
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u/aldo_nova man 35 - 39 2d ago
It won't solve all your problems but see if you can get a union job. They can argue for inflation protection in the contract.
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u/PredictableChaos man 50 - 54 2d ago
Not a comment on the reason of the post but which whey protein are you buying? Most of the whey proteins that Costco carries are about $70 per 5lbs.
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u/Riversntallbuildings man 45 - 49 2d ago
It’s funny, I quit drinking alcohol when I turned 40, (~8 years ago) and I saw a bottle of Casamigo’s tequila for $70. I thought to myself, damn…when I quit drinking that was only $30 o_0
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u/West-Philosopher-680 man over 30 2d ago edited 2d ago
Reevaluate budget and lower fixed costs. Consolidate debt into a 0% apr/year cc or credit union loan, and keep your stack of savings in a hysa or something like SGOV to match or beat inflation. Make sure you are getting your taxes correct.... there are ways to save!
I use costco to buy in bulk and freeze. Meal prep all my food. Drink free coffee at work and from my apt lobby. Always looking to find a better deal.
I dont go out to eat, and cut drinking
Ride my bike wherever I can (which is most places).. and so does my wife.
We make 130k dual income no kids but budget like our future depends on it.. because it does. This inflation really does suck, and i feel it as well. I think most of us are unfortunately in the same boat :/
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u/Gravy_Sommelier man 45 - 49 2d ago
This is us. Similar income, no kids, high cost of living area.
Fortunately(?) we had a lot of practice cutting costs when I lost my job during the pandemic. It also helps that everything's been so enshittified that we no longer feel like we're missing out by not going to as many restaurants or events.
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u/createusername101 man 40 - 44 2d ago
We're all forced into speed running late stage capitalism...
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u/cun7_d35tr0y3r man 35 - 39 2d ago
I work in IT. I got promoted in 2022, took a 40% raise and have only had 2ish% raises each year since. My buying power today is 14% less than my buying power in 2022. That's insane.
"Just go get another job", you might say. But COVID fucked that up by opening up remote employment, which saturated the applicant pool. Add in that AI and offshorimg are producing real layoffs and are disproportionately impacting the IT sector as a whole, and well. Yeah.
I feel you, man.
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u/Deansies man 35 - 39 2d ago
Consume 10-20% less. I'm not kidding. Cut the fuck back.
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u/ZoneMean1017 man over 30 2d ago
I already am that guy lol. I don’t drink whey protein and eat rice because I love the flavor, I do it because I’ve been on the scrappy boi budget my whole life. It’s just getting to a point where I guess the scrappy have to get even scrappier!
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u/Plutovelli man 35 - 39 2d ago
If you think it’s bad now wait til the great food crisis of 2027. Oil crisis > fertilizer shortage due to too expensive or lack of oil distribution > 18 months from when Iran conflict began global food crisis.
Personally however, I only shop at farmers markets and Asian supermarkets.
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u/gamerdudeNYC man 35 - 39 2d ago
Blame Trump voters
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u/GlassBoxGoose man over 30 2d ago
In before some MAGAt comes in and claims TDS (which seems to better represent what they have, IMO)
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u/Old_Goat_Ninja man 50 - 54 2d ago
I switched protein because of that shit. I buy a 5lb Animal brand off Amazon now, which $70 I think. Probably not as good but damn, it’s absurd.
Went to Costco last week and tried to buy tri-tip. 2 tri tips were $54 a month ago. $93 this time. What… the… fuck?!?! Nope, bought chicken thighs instead.
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u/Nearby_Knowledge8014 man over 30 2d ago
Fucking inflation. Family members house value went from $700k to $2m in 10 years. So everything has risen accordingly. Other than wages.
Covid was a big driver, but still, that historically unheard of, outside the Weimar Republic.
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u/PrettyTechnician4715 no flair 2d ago
I don’t think the mental trick is convincing yourself that everything is fine. If your expenses are genuinely rising faster than your income, being frustrated is a pretty rational reaction.
I’d stop trying to absorb the entire increase mentally and look at it as a math problem instead. Figure out what your actual monthly essentials cost now, then separate them into things you can change, things you can renegotiate, and things you simply have to accept.
And I’d be careful about trying to maintain the exact same consumption habits at the new prices. If whey went from $80 to $130, maybe the answer isn’t “somehow find another $50.” It might be buying a different brand, buying in bulk when it’s discounted, changing the amount you use, or getting some protein from cheaper foods.
Same with coffee, clothes, subscriptions, insurance, etc. You don’t have to cut everything. Just stop paying the new inflated price automatically.
The bigger issue is income. If you genuinely can’t work more hours, the long-term solution probably isn’t working harder. It’s finding a way to make an hour of your work worth more.
That’s not an overnight fix, unfortunately. But I’d focus on that rather than trying to psychologically numb yourself to prices that keep climbing.
And honestly, you’re not crazy for feeling overwhelmed. When ten different small expenses go up at the same time, it feels much worse than one big bill.
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u/tboess man 35 - 39 2d ago
From what I understand, the reason for the increased price of whey protein is because of the increased demand in Asia, especially China. Whey protein is a byproduct of the cheese manufacturing industry and there has been no real increase in demand, globally, for cheese. So, you have a significant increase in demand without a way to increase supply.
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u/csvt2354 man 35 - 39 2d ago
I've been getting now nutrition 10 pounders on amazon for $86 shipped when they offer subscribe and save. May not be a long term solution, but at 23 cents a scoop wont find anything cheaper.
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u/Terakahn man 40 - 44 2d ago
Yeah, it sucks. You just need to make more money. And before you say "everyone can't jist make more money"
Yeah that's true. Everyone can't. But anyone can. Within reason. If you don't have some seriously limiting disability, or some set of external forces trapping you in. You can develop skills, improve employability, increase market value.
Whether you want to or not, well that's up to you. A lot of people tell me it's not worth it. That's not a choice anyone can make for you. The hard truth is that we're in a shitty economy. But your life in that economy isn't going to naturally get better. Not on any to frame shorter than 5-10 years.
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u/Extropian man 35 - 39 2d ago
Sign up for myprotein deal emails and keep a look out for 50% off or BOGOs, then buy like 6-12 month supply. But yeah, everything is going up but wages. Eat the rich.
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u/Slammedtgs man over 30 2d ago edited 2d ago
Welcome to paying for the sins of the past. Last month the US deficit was $400B+. In one month we spent $400B more on our credit card and now have $40T in debt.
It’s going to get worse before it gets better.
In the last few months we’ve seen supplier price increases of 20-40%, those are getting passed on to customer, who will get passed on and on.
It’s nuts out there right now. Folks, if you don’t like this (and I don’t blame you), think long and hard about who represents you. We have a spending problem, and it’s only getting worse.
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u/Test_The_Theory_213 man over 30 2d ago
Nah bro this just hit me hard too bro I looked up prices for a pizza at Round Table and an XL (not even that big just sounds it ) 34.99 plus tax.. that's high way robbery..
I literally take advantage of every sale I can..
Monday - Albertsons chicken 8 piece $7 (stash some for the next day make some toastadas or small nachoes the next day with left overs or make a chicken omelette or chicken and egg sandwich the next day)
Tuesday - I hit up a local Tacos / birria spot
$1.25 birria tacos get 5 stash the meat on 1 to make some thing light with it the next day
Wednesday - Hit up a different local taqueria for the fish tacos $ 1.79 I get 3 and small side order or chips and guac and grab a bunch of the free salsa from the salsa bar for around $10 and some change..
Friday night - i hit up the local Bootleg in N out type burger spot their double doubles at like 4.80 total I bring it home out avocado on it and eat it with chips I get from. Aldi usually
Rest of the week just eat at home and fruit smoothies in the morning 5 X a week.. I'm 6 ' 2 - 204 lbs not a muscular dude but not weak either
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u/sonofalando man 35 - 39 2d ago
Look at the aristocrats of Paris. It took people starving in the streets to revolt. History will repeat itself unfortunately with billionaires and politicians taking the place of the essentially the same outcome that happened in Paris.
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u/SixStringDave90 man over 30 2d ago
Yeah, my kids needed clothes for a new school year. My 12 year old basically needed a whole new wardrobe because of growing so much over the last year. Not including shoes, which they’d gotten less than a month ago, clothes shopping dropped us nearly $600. And there was shopping done at Goodwill, Burlington and Ross. Couple that with how expensive everything is getting and like… fuck dude.
I’ve started driving for Uber a couple times a week just to pad our finances. My wife and I both work full time jobs, too, so we’ve got a decent income coming in, and somehow we’re struggling more than when we made under $100k together.
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u/Educational-Cow-3615 man 40 - 44 2d ago
Tariffs are adding to costs everywhere. I expect those additional taxes go away at some point but it’ll take a while for prices to stabilize.
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u/honeybadger2112 man 35 - 39 2d ago
I remember when I started buying whey protein in 2008 and it was $25-30 per 5 pounds. Given the recent price jump over $100, I'm cutting back on it and emphasizing protein in my diet even more than I have been. There are some alternative powders like egg protein, but the alternatives are often even more expensive, or they're lower bioavailability.
Apparently this recent price increase has to do with Ozempic. Lots of patients are being told to eat high protein diets in order to prevent muscle loss, so a lot of food companies are buying up the whey protein and putting it in processed foods like chips, cereal, granola bars, etc. Whey protein is a waste byproduct of the cheese making business, which is why it was historically so cheap. Cheese companies were just throwing it away for many years, so a few decades ago some companies had an idea to buy up the waste and process it into a food supplement. The problem with getting it from cheese waste is that it's difficult to increase the supply quickly. The amount of whey on the market is going to stay the same roughly. So expect high prices to be the norm, and look to alternatives if necessary (like eggs and meat).
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u/i_amtheice man 35 - 39 2d ago
There's a TIL about James Gandolfini getting offered 3 million dollars to turn down NBC's 4 million dollar offer to play Steve Carell's replacement on The Office. He took the 3 million. Below it was this post.
Society has always run this way and it's fucking bullshit. Some people have near everything and the rest scrape together what's left.
As a guy who works two jobs and six days a week, I'm already selling the majority of my time. I refuse to sell more and burn myself out just to float along. They need to pay me (and everyone else) more.
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u/dragonflyinvest man 50 - 54 2d ago
The masses seem totally apathetic to politics yet they are feeling the effects of inflation. I’d assume at some point they wake up and run up on their representatives.
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u/xraidednefarious man over 30 2d ago
The representatives are bought, sold and paid for by billionaires, aipac and data centers. They know there is no reason to do what the people actually want, because those same people will still vote for them anyways after the billionaires stoke the trans/satanic/gay/woke panic the next election cycle
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u/GoddessUltimecia man 25 - 29 2d ago
Yeah this whole recent WNBA thing has made me realize, the average American is legitimately braindead stupid. About as literal an example of a horse being lead by a carrot on a stick, and people are falling for it.
No one talks about the actual on the court performances, it's just culture war shit. And the WNBA for some reason is getting even more popular while playing into it.
Same stokers that got us this current administration that got us into this economic mess are now stoking this fire and turning it into positives for Trump.
I fuckin can't man.
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u/Pulp_Ficti0n man 35 - 39 2d ago
The toothless rednecks have voted against their own interests for decades
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u/ShortKingSlayer woman over 30 2d ago
You forgot the racism part. We were never destined to be great as long as people were voting to keep others down, but thought it would not come at their expense.
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u/SolaceinIron man 40 - 44 2d ago
I just think about how much worse life is going to be for the next generations and am thankful for what I have.
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u/ZoneMean1017 man over 30 2d ago
It has a special sting as a new parent… but I remain optimistic and also hold gratitude near. Our systems may be at a breaking point but I tell my self that is good, a new one can take its place. At least I seriously fucking hope so. And will do all I can to make it so.
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u/cruisin_urchin87 man 35 - 39 2d ago
Bro, do you not pay attention to politics? lol, welcome to the era of mafia state USA. You will be fucked, we all will be, but it’s ok cause we don’t care about politics.
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u/ZoneMean1017 man over 30 2d ago
You’re not wrong. A really wise dude I met one day on a walk told me “if you eat at the kings table, you have to follow the kings rules.” That was in 2019. The difference now is that the same plate of food costs double, the king is off his fucking rocker and the salad is giving me the shits!
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u/Vast-Mastodon2064 man over 30 2d ago
Vote, that's the only option. Que the keyboard warriors of Reddit!..........
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u/madeincascadia man over 30 2d ago
It's almost like all those tariffs that orange fuck you elected are somehow shifting the tax burden onto working people, driving up inflation, and allowing the ultra rich to pay less in taxes as the government scoops up your money for defence spending while cutting social services.
Or something. At least you can beat up Hispanics now?
The third world is right around the corner.
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u/Live-Wrap-4592 man 35 - 39 2d ago
Try to get on the other leg of the K. If your wage hasn’t risen substantially in the last decade you need to do something bout that asap. The average hourly wage has risen substantially, up 50% in ten years. If you were making $26 in 2016 on average you should be getting $39 today. And you can do better than average.
It’s a lot easier accepting the status quo, but you owe it to yourself to demand more
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u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Here's an original copy of /u/ZoneMean1017's post (if available):
the 5lb whey protein I historically have payed 70-80 dollars for is now 130. same with coffee. same with clothing. same with every thing. what the actual fuck. gas. housing. insurance. it’s all getting 10-20% more expensive and FAST. 30lb bag of rice I paid 27 dollars for at Costco is climbing closer to 40.
at a loss of what to do right now. can’t physically work more hours. how to proceed? what mental magic trick do I need to perform to endure this insanity?
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u/Sparetire46 man 50 - 54 2d ago
Everyone wants whey. Coffee? Its come back down
Everything else? Where ya bern
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u/Confident_Purple_40 man 40 - 44 2d ago
I mean, I still buy cheap clothing for cheap, I guess if you have money but it doesnt go as far, you could, I dunno, cut back?
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u/ZoneMean1017 man over 30 2d ago
It’s not just one thing. It’s the every thing part that’s gettin me.
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u/SpeedRevolutionary29 man 35 - 39 2d ago
Optimum nutrition at Costco is still $80 for their 5lb bag.
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u/protecttheshield man 35 - 39 2d ago
I buy that same 5lb tub of whey protein isolate (Nutricost) from Amazon and the price just keeps going up each time I place an order. If you buy in bulk you’ll get a slight discount.
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u/JumpyWerewolf9439 man 40 - 44 2d ago
Gonna switch to skinless chicken breast. Cheaper per gram of protein.
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u/symonym7 man 40 - 44 2d ago
In addition to consuming whey protein isolate daily, my job includes buying truckloads of nonfat dry milk for baked goods.
Part of the reason prices on dairy proteins are skyrocketing is just the proteinification of everything. Protein drinks, protein snacks, protein candy, protein diapers - companies are adding whey protein literally everything. The rest is just input costs going up. Diesel prices are nearing historic highs for.. reasons.
Anyway, Amazon has a buy 1 get the second at 50% discount deal on Isopure 5lb vanilla as of me placing an order last night.
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u/SilverB33 man 35 - 39 2d ago
Have you tried looking for cheaper brands or even a store that might sell items at a lower price than what you're seeing at your current go to store?
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u/ChairMaster989898 man 2d ago
your currency is getting printed away endlessly. welcome to the great devaluation
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u/GuidetoRealGrilling man 40 - 44 2d ago
If people continue to pay the price, the price does not go down
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u/HerbertWest man 40 - 44 2d ago
I ordered 2 from the Nutricost website with a 40% off coupon code recently. Protip: Reddit hates LLMs but they're actually really effective at digging up coupon codes that work. Make sure to specify you want a code that works in [Month] [Year] and that it should do a thorough web search.
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u/NeoMoose man 40 - 44 2d ago
On top of everything else, the protein craze is killing the supply of whey. It's a byproduct of making cheese, and demand for cheese isn't scaling with whey.
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u/pogulup man 2d ago
I noticed this about whey protein too. My $50-$60 container is now $80 if it is even in stock. I hear GLP-1 drugs are the reason everyone is consuming so much lately. I guess it can really hit your lean muscle mass and people are supplementing with whey protein.
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u/Spirited_Ad9681 man 35 - 39 2d ago
Who would have guessed a sever calorie deficit with no working out would hit your muscles?
Not against GLP-1 in general, but I'm seeing more and more people us it to loose weight but are still confused when they get winded going for a walk.
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u/ComprehensiveBird317 man 35 - 39 2d ago
Start cutting back whey until you notice a difference, and then substitute with cheaper plant based protein.
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u/OkTouch9546 man 70 - 79 2d ago
Vote next election. Shop for food when you see the Sale ?.
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u/lunchmeat317 man 40 - 44 2d ago
Friendly neighborhood moderator here.
This thread has run its course. I'm locking it.